Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga go fur-free
British fashion house Alexander McQueen and luxury Spanish designer Balenciaga have both confirmed fur-free policies, becoming the latest Kering-owned brands to do so.
The announcement comes as the UK government is considering making Britain the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur now that the UK has left the single market.
Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson received an open letter signed by 50 of Britain’s biggest stars in support of the #FurFreeBritain campaign.
Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga are the latest to join a rapidly expanding group of fashion designers dropping fur, including Prada, Gucci, Armani, Versace, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, DKNY, Burberry and Chanel.
The fur-free announcement was made in Kering’s 2020 Universal Registration document, which stated “Most of the Group’s Houses do not use fur. For example, Gucci is part of the Fur Free Retailer program promoted by NGO Fur Free Alliance, and has banned the use of furs across its entire range since its Spring/Summer 2018 collections. Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and MCQ also no longer use fur in their collections.”
Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International & UK, said: "We are thrilled that yet another iconic British fashion figure has taken a stand against the cruel fur industry and joined the growing list of fur-free designers.
"By removing fur from its collections, Alexander McQueen is in tune with the British public, the vast majority of whom do not wear fur. This is a notable fur-free milestone worth celebrating and we encourage the government to acknowledge it as further evidence that Britain is ready for a fur sales ban this year.”
Kering brand Gucci previously announced its fur-free policy in 2017, and Bottega Veneta claims it has been fur-free for nearly 20 years. Only Kering’s Saint Laurent and Brioni have yet to announce fur-free policies.
Last year, Canada Goose confirmed its commitment to end the purchasing of new fur and plans to launch a consumer buy-back program for fur.
